Monday Maniac #18

Bad bike, bad day; good bike, good day. This used be a slogan around Machine Racing back in the day when a rider would have good or bad days. If it was bad, it was the bike’s fault. If it was good the bike worked amazing. A Motocrosser is pretty mentally retarded in ways that most of the regular world would never see. They find little things to help them cope with bad days at the race track. I’m not sure why but rarely, and I mean rarely, do you ever hear a racer say: “That was my fault.” It’s like when you were young in the principal’s office but you had done nothing wrong and found every way possible to explain to him/her that there was no way it could have been you. LOL I still to this day find that stuff funny and it does not seem to go away as we/I get older. It was this way at Gopher the week prior when the day was bad (let’s say mediocre). Then yesterday at the perfect conditioned Motopark, I was all smiles (minus moto one where I had arm pump so bad that it was dangerous) because the day went well. In fact, where we pitted, there were nothing but smiles all day long. I bet if every racer had a chance to come hang in the corner where there was a huge crew of good people laughing and smiling all day, there would never be problems at the track. Days like that are just amazing and make you wish there could be more and more. So it was a good bike, good day.

The track was prepped for mint conditions. Motopark is now not just another track. It's a facility for breeding great action and fun.

MXP was in the house representing.

I’m really impressed right now with the line up of two-strokes out on the track. Not only are there lots out there, but some are even winning races. Nicholas Jones in the Junior class and Hayden Hallstead in Intermediate were very impressive on what most consider a weaker motorcycle for racing compared to the dominant four-stroke. The cool factor for all the old school racers at the track is to just hear and smell the bikes. It really makes you enjoy watching it out on the track and getting flashbacks of days gone by. For Hayden Halsted, he will be taking advantage of the new rule in Canada where 250 two-stroke machines can ride in amateur MX2 classes as well as MX2 Pro/Am if you’re an Intermediate rider. By no means will any Intermediate win a moto or hit the box but they could get some decent starts with that extra HP under the hood. It could make for some interesting first few laps at any given national across the country, especially if the start is long where horsepower will come in handy. For instance, Kamloops, Edmonton, Gopher Dunes, Ste-Julie, Moncton, and Walton may give these young kids motivation to race the two-stroke in the MX2 Pro/Am class and a little edge they need to help give them confidence to go for a holeshot. The other three rounds in Nanaimo, Calgary, Sand Del Lee all have shorter starts and will cater to the four-stroke. I’m glad they’re back, and I’m glad to see some riders really enjoy what used to be the way to go in racing. Keep up the good work all you two-stroke riders!!

Zeb Dennis is a hard working kid now. There may have been a time when some would have thought that Zeb was lost. He really is the man that helps keep Motopark in check on race days. He doesn't do it alone but his efforts shine through. Good work buds!!

Almost every class had full gates. Here is an Intermediate moto going off the line.

For over 40 years, there have been races at Motopark. I was chatting on the line with fellow Vet rider Chris Pomeroy and asked him what the first year was when he rode at the park. He said 1982. For me it was 1986. Yesterday, we all witnessed something that had never happened in the 40 plus years it’s been around. They had the biggest turnout in the history of the park. How amazing is that? In those 40 years, you’ve got to wonder how many races they’ve had; has to be a thousand or so. April 29th, 2012 was the biggest they had ever had. That’s something to be said in today’s sport. I really feel that Brett Lee is the person responsible for this. He managed to make amends and open the doors of communication between other sanctioning bodies. This now allows us all to enjoy jam packed race days, all classes with full gates, good pay outs, and happy promoters by day’s end. The best way to make this sport grow is by having happy promoters. They own the tracks. If they work their nuts off for a Sunday race and it sucks for the wallet and the crew, the tracks will not stay around if all the races do is cost them money. So good on ya Brett for stepping up and making something happen in Ontario. That sure looks good from the outside looking in right now.

I just had to take this pic. Kyle "Casper" Keast and Ryan "Whitey" Lockhart working on their summer tans.

Owner Iain Hayden and Ref Jeremy Lee chatting about a solid day.

We are now only 35 days from the drop of the gate in Nanaimo, BC at the Wastelands for Round 1 of the Monster Energy Motocross Nationals. You can really start to feel the excitement. There were tons of rumours and bench racing flying around yesterday about what will go on at round one. Will Colton and Dusty be the same on KTMs? Can Kyle Keast prove the switch to Yamaha is a good one? Can Bobby Kiniry tune his winter success into a title hunt this summer? Can Matt Goerke show these boys that Gopher last year was no fluke and be in it from start to finish? Can Tyler Medaglia win with his own team on a Honda? Will Jeremy Medaglia dominate in MX2? Can Teddy Maier win again? Will Kyle Beaton make it through the whole year? Will either of the Allison twins win a moto this year? So many questions and in 35 days all will be answered. As I write this I got a shiver, ya know that feeling you get when you’re on the gate and the 5 second board goes sideways. Hell, I’m only a fan at these races and I’m getting nervous. I think this year is going to be a good one for the sport; all these changes and uncertainties that can only lead to solid racing and surprises all summer. A least that’s what I hope. I’m sure we all do.

This guy is on the gas. Keast looked uber comfortable on his Yamahas. The competition isn't super stiff for him at the local races but when you win by over 30 seconds in a moto then it's tough not to be a Keast fan.

So big thanks to Motopark and CMRC for a solid Sunday at the races. Hopefully all those red crosses and yellows we saw were just hiccups in the road for the races and everyone is feeling good today. Next weekend is Sand Del Lee – another A1 class facility. The weather looks great right now so hopefully we see another weekend with full gates and happy race fans. Cheers

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